John gillespie



(No Model.)

J. GILLESPIE.

BICYGLE.

No. 573,779. Patented Dec. 22, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OHN GILLESPIE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE M.

PORTER, oF

SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION formng part of Letters Patent No. 573,77' 9, datedDecember 22, 1896.

Application filed April 6 1 8 9 6 To all whom it may concern- Be itknown that I, JOHN GILLnsPIE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bicycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the shaft to which the crank is attached; and itconsists in making the said shaft in two parts, fitted to each other onan oblique line, the object being to avoid the necessity of attachingthe crank to the shaft, as is now done, by means of keys, check-nuts,and washers, and at the same time to enable the cranks to be easilyremoved by a person of little mechanical skill or knowledge. The cranksare attached to the shaft by being brazed thereto and are removed withthe portion of the shaft to which they are respectively attached. Aperfectfitting joint is formed by means of frictional contact only ofthe two parts of the shaft.

I have shown in the drawing a sectional yiew of my invention.

a a are the pedals.

a' a' are the cranks attached to one end of the shaft b b'. The shaft ismade in two parts and is provided with the cone c, screwed thereto andresting on the ball-bearings (Z CZ. f f are adj usting-nuts, by means ofwhich the bearing against the balls may be adjusted. The cones c and theadj usting-nuts f are provided, respectively, with a right and leftscrew-thread, so as to prevent any loosening of the joint. The shaft b',made in two parts, as stated, has the plane of its longitudinal meetingsurfaces made on a line oblique Serial No. 586,338. (No model.)

l to the axis of the shaft, as shown at e. It will be seen that when thetwo parts are fitted together each will press against the oppositesurface of the other, and also bear against the inner surface of thesleeve g, this constant pressure being caused by the action of theplanes of the two longitudinal meeting surfaces, which are placed, asstated, on a line oblique to the axes of the two parts of the shaft bb'. The two parts of the shaft are made hollow, as shown in the fignreby the broken lines, one section being made hollow throughout and theother having a solid portion at the end, the object being to enable theshaft to be separat-ed by driving apart the Sections by a rod insertedin the hollow section in case the two parts thereof should bind. In suchcase a small piece of metal is to be inserted, and a slight blow thereonwill separate the two parts of the shaft, so that they may be easilytaken out.

XVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a bicycle, a crank-shaft made in two parts each of which has aninclined overlapping end, combined with a frictional sleeve for holdingthem together, one of the parts of the shaft being hollow and the otherhaving a solid portion against which a rod may be inserted, to drive thecnds apart7 substantially as shown.

JOHN GILLESPIE.

Vitnesses:

J. L. RocHE, CHAS. II. DREw.

